A federal judge has ruled that the Immigration and Refugee Board erred in denying the claim of a Pakistani man who sought refuge in Canada on the grounds that his wife’s parents set police on him because they disapproved of their marriage.

Citing a corrupt police force and the high number of “honour crimes” committed against couples who marry in defiance of parents’ wishes, the judge said it was unreasonable for the IRB to suggest that the man could “live in hiding” in another part of Pakistan.

Nadir Saleem met his wife through his sister in the city of Sialkot. Because her parents did not approve of their relationship, the couple fled to the city of Mardan and took refuge with the family of a friend. They married in 2007.

His wife’s parents subsequently lodged a complaint against Saleem that resulted in charges of abduction and rape being filed against him. Saleem fled to Canada and sought protection.

In reviewing his case, an IRB adjudicator suggested that Saleem could reside in the cities of Multan or Mardan — “Internal Flight Alternatives” — which are more than 400 kilometres from Sialkot.

The adjudicator said Saleem’s in-laws would not be able to find him and his wife in either of these cities, and it didn’t even appear that they were actively searching for him outside Sialkot. Plus, the adjudicator argued, it would be easy for Saleem to relocate since he had a bachelor’s degree from Pakistan and completed most of an MBA in the United States.

Saleem applied for a judicial review of that decision, arguing at a hearing in Calgary that it was wrong for the IRB adjudicator to suggest his in-laws and police were not actively searching for them. He also said police and lower courts are corrupt and that couples who marry against parents’ wishes have been subjected to violence.

Federal Court Judge Richard Mosley was sympathetic. The judge said it was possible that police could locate his wife through her National Identification Card.

Further, the judge said, “Pakistan experiences a high number of honour crimes committed against couples who marry in defiance of parents.

“The evidence also indicates that the police allow themselves to be used as guardians of public morality to uphold tradition and culture.”

The judge said the IRB contradicted itself when it said Saleem had a reasonable chance of success facing his accusers in Pakistan, while also accepting that many lower courts in that country are corrupt.

He ordered Saleem’s case be sent back to the IRB’s refugee protection division for reconsideration.

A country fact sheet posted on the IRB’s website states that there are believed to be an average of 1,000 honour killings in Pakistan each year. Many go unreported.

While women are the targets of most honour killings, some men have been targets as well.

“The killers seek to avenge the shame that victims are accused of bringing to their families,” the fact sheet states.